Varrin Gara'dar

Varrin is an exiled Rakorsian prince and well-known criminal. He roams the stars as the captain of his ship, the Nonconformity. He is the husband of Eris Miller.

Life on Rakor
Varrin was born on Rakor and was raised by Emperor Ka'zarel as the heir to the Rakorsian empire. He has a younger brother named Trystan, who he got along well with. However, due to Trystan's un-Rakorsian tendencies, he tended to look down on him. From birth Varrin was guarded by a Skin Slicer named Fino'jin. Growing up, Varrin's best friend was a Rakorsian named Kaydrin, the son of a member of the Imperial Guard. Eventually it was discovered through genetic screening that Kaydrin's family was Shin'lar, a member of the Rakorsian lower class who had not received the customary genetic modifications. Kaydrin and his family were shipped to an asteroid mine twenty light-years away, and Varrin never saw his best friend again.

At some point in time Varrin's mother was assassinated under unknown circumstances, and Emperor Ka'zarel remarried another Rakorsian. Varrin would come to regard his father's new wife, the Empress, as his mother "in name only".

Exile
Varrin was eventually betrothed to a Kalarian woman as part of a political alliance. Varrin found his betrothed extremely repulsive, due to her "scaly arms and slime oozing from every pore". The day of the wedding he stole the Nonconformity and escaped Rakor. This event caused the Rakorsians and Kalarians to erupt into war. Varrin lost touch with his family after this, though he would occasionally contact his father to taunt him.

From there Varrin wandered the stars as a well-known criminal and the shame of the Rakorsian empire. He developed a number of aliases during his travels. These included Aedar Korlethi the shipping magnate, Fizz Galeen the hitchhiker, Kalawampa the Star-talker and Magnificus the exotic dancer. During his travels Varrin had a number of bizarre encounters and used his Rakorsian looks and skills to charm every woman he found. His Rakorsian talents were also useful for his new life of crime, and Varrin entered the employ of a number of corporations who were happy to have a Rakorsian's services. Varrin had a tendency to double cross his employers, but he was so skilled that many of them were able to look past this.

Encounter With Eris
At one point Varrin was employed by IFTAP to attack a Ssrisk vessel and free the prisoners on board. Varrin attached the Nonconformity to the Ssrisk vessel, the Ss'Rass'Kris, and deployed a paralysis gas that was designed to only affect Ssrisk. This allowed Varrin to reach the prisoners' cells with little interference. He donned a helmet to protect himself from the gas, and found the prisoners, a human and a Claktill. Varrin silently beckoned them to come with him, and forced them to come at striker-point when they refused. He was then attacked by Tarsis, but the Ssrisk was already impaired by the paralysis gas and Varrin defeated him easily. While forcing the prisoners back to the Nonconformity, Varrin was attacked by Grashk, another guard on board the Ssrisk ship. They fought briefly, and Varrin soundly defeated the Ssrisk with a blow to the head. He escaped back onto the Nonconformity with his captives.

Though the Ssrisk chased after Varrin, he was able to outmaneuver them. While he engaged the ship's lamri, he had the human use the ship's weapon controls and had the Claktill pilot the ship. Varrin eventually intiated a Pull, narrowly escaping the Ssrisk. He then revealed himself to the prisoners as an IFTAP agent tasked with freeing them and returning them home. At this point the human and Claktill introduced themselves as Eris and Miguri. Varrin quickly grew to like Eris, though Miguri was slow to trust a Rakorsian.

Varrin contacted Minister Gook, his employer at IFTAP. The Nonconformity had sustained damage during the escape and Varrin wanted 10 000 tetras in payment, as well as a bonus for doing the job without the Tetrarchy's notice. Gook was reluctant to pay Varrin the bonus, but agreed to talk to the board about it. Varrin continued to bond with Eris, as he found the terrestrial interesting. Eventually he showed her around the engine room and explained his work with IFTAP. Soon afterwards he kissed her.

Soon afterwards, Varrin was contacted by Gook again - IFTAP was unwilling to pay the bonus for Eris and Miguri. At that moment Varrin received another offer for the pair from Chakra Corporation. They were prepared to offer double what IFTAP had promised, as they were hoping to use Eris for experimentation. Varrin accepted the offer, and pleasantly told Eris and Miguri where he was now taking them. They were furious with him, and he locked them in their chambers. Varrin used his genetically engineered hearing to keep tabs on Eris and Miguri while he piloted the Nonconformity towards Alpha Centauri Prime.

Three days later they reached Spire City on Alpha Centauri Prime. Varrin escorted Eris and Miguri throughout the marketplace to a dingy storefront where he met his Chakra Corp contact, Alyra. Varrin received his payment and handed Eris and Miguri over to Chakra Corp. He offered Eris a brief, awkward apology before he left, but Eris didn't accept. With the deal finished, Varrin left.

New Mission
Varrin later accepted employment under IGASA to intercept a Chakra Corp ship that was smuggling illegal cargo out of the system. He latched the Nonconformity to the Chakra ship with ease. He boarded the Chakra ship and stunned the Psilosian pilot, not recongizing her as Alyra. Varrin then went to liberate the prisoners, only to encounter Eris and Miguri again. They tried to explain that Alyra was posing as a Chakra Corp employee and was secretly taking them to Psilos. Varrin insisted on rescuing them regardless - determined to get his finder's fee. Eris and Miguri refused to go with him, so he escorted them back to the Nonconformity at striker-point.

Varrin attempted to seduce Eris again, and was confused when she rejected him. To get his mind off the issue, he contacted his father, Emperor Ka'zarel. Normally Varrin enjoyed antagonizing his father, but this time it failed to improve his mood. To put an end to Eris' moping, Varrin took her to Vega Minor the next day, a moon known for its beauticians. The group was intercepted by a Scalkan gang, and Varrin defeated the entire gang single handedly. Varrin was ready to kill the Scalkan leader until Eris convinced him not to. Varrin then took Eris to an old friend of his, a hairstylist named Madam Zhia. He paid for Madam Zhia to regrow Eris' hair and Eris thanked him for it. Varrin's relationship with Eris began to improve at that point.

Varrin planned to leave the moon, but he was thwarted by a news report that revealed he was hiding on Vega Minor. The report also revealed his criminal past to Eris and Miguri. Varrin decided that the group should hide out at the Starlight, a well-known hotel. En route they encountered one of the Scalkans from before, who was intent on revenge. He produced a Jsgarn, a ravenous beast that was the natural enemy of the Claktill. Varrin killed the Jsgarn and Scalkan, but his arm was injured by the Jsgarn's poisonous fangs. He collapsed unconscious in Eris' arms.

Eris managed to get Varrin and Miguri to the Starlight. Varrin was recognized by the manager as Aedar Korlethi, one of his many aliases. Varrin was tended to by the Starlight doctors and was ieventually returned to Eris' care in a drugged and weakened state. Eris helped him recover over the next few days. The two began to grow closer during this time.

Later that week Varrin was invited to the annual Starlight Ball. He attended under the guise of Aedar Korlethi, and Eris attended as his mistress. Varrin quickly left Eris to catch up with old acquaintances and Eris was left alone. Varrin soon noticed Eris dance with another partygoer named Kraigoth. He was both jealous and angry that Eris was blowing their cover. A loud argument resulted and Eris returned to their hotel room alone, locking Varrin out.

The following morning, Varrin was relaxing in the Starlight Crystal Blue Steam Pool. Eris found him and they began talking. Varrin revealed what had happened to Fayeed, his best friend as a child. From there Varrin repaired his friendship with Eris, promising not to betray her again. They both enjoyed the remainder of their stay at the Starlight, barring a minor incident when Kraigoth questioned their cover. After leaving Vega Minor, Varrin learned that Chakra Corp had placed Eris and Varrin on the Wanted list, preventing him from taking them to either Psilos or IFTAP. Before he could decide, the ship came under attack.

Visit to Earth
The attacker was revealed to be Admiral Kratis, a well regarded officer in the Rakorsian army. Kratis had received orders from Emperor Ka'zarel to track Varrin down, capture him, and finally return him to Rakor to answer for his desertion. Kratis had brought an entire armada with him to ensure Varrin's capture. Knowing he could not win in a fair fight, Varrin initiated a dangerous Pull to escape. The Nonconformity was nearly torn apart and required urgent repairs. At the same time, Kratis had tracked the Pull and the group required a place to hide. Eris suggested they hide from Kratis on Earth, and she could bring Varrin the supplies he needed. Left with little choice, Varrin made another Pull for Earth.

While Eris visited her home and collected supplies, Varrin began to repair the Nonconformity's engines. His efforts were interrupted when he learned that Kratis was closing in, and had just passed Neptune. Varrin hid the Nonconformity in a cloud and flew to the Barlow Collegiate Institute. Desperate to leave Earth as soon as possible, Varrin found Eris in her dean's office... while she was meeting with him. The dean fained at the sight of Miguri and Eris climbed aboard. From there they left the planet.

Battling the Rakorsians
Varrin planned to sneak aboard Kratis' ship to disable his comm interrupter and contact the Psilosians for help. The plan was complicated when Varrin learned that Captain Hroshk's Ssrisk ship was also in the area, and appeared to have allied with Kratis. While Varrin headed with Eris towards Kratis' ship in an escape pod, Miguri attacked the Rakorsian ship as a decoy. Varrin and Eris snuck aboard the ship and Varrin took out several Rakorsian guards with ease. Their early success was halted when they were met by a squad of Skin Slicers, led by Varrin's old bodyguard Fino'jin. Even Varrin was no match for these soldiers, and he and Eris surrendered.

Varrin and Eris were brought before Admiral Kratis. Kratis gave Varrin two options, to either turn Eris over to the Ssrisk and be taken home to the Emperor, or to kill Eris in exchange for his own freedom. After having seen Eris endure her capture at the hands of the Ssrisk and Chakra Corp, Varrin was sure she would rather die than spend her life in slavery. So Varrin chose the second option - dooming Eris in exchange for his freedom. Eris was unaware of Varrin's motives for the decision, and she lost all trust in him.

Epiphany
As Eris was led away to be executed, Varrin revealed to Kratis that he knew the admiral had no intention of letting him go free. Kratis allowed Varrin free reign of the ship, provided Varrin gave Kratis his word of honour that he would not try to escape. Troubled, Varrin wandered the ship and was confronted by Fino'jin. Fino'jin was disgusted that Varrin was simply surrendering to Kratis, as he expected more from a fellow Rakorsian and the prince he had guarded. He attacked Varrin, commanding him to fight back. Snapped out of his depression, Varrin realized he had to go rescue Eris. Fino'jin was impressed with Varrin's change of heart... though honour demanded that he then try to kill Varrin for defying Kratis. Varrin defeated Fino'jin in combat, but found himself unable to kill the Skin Slicer who had guarded him his entire life. Instead Varrin slipped a knock-out disc onto Fino'jin's unconscious body, meaning if they ever met again, Varrin would have an easy way to incapacitate him. Varrin then hurried off to rescue Eris.

Varrin found Eris in Execution Room B, right as she was defiantly prepared to accept her execution. The ensuing standoff ended with Kratis and Hroshk's alliance falling apart, and Hroshk shot Kratis' head off. This had the unforeseen consequence of making Varrin the only Rakorsian with authority in the room, and he used his rank of prince to order the other Rakorsians to attack Hroshk. Varrin quickly rescued Eris and Miguri, while the Rakorsians were defeated by Hroshk. Hroshk then took Eris hostage, demanding Varrin's surrender. Unwilling to see Eris harmed, Varrin surrendered in an attempt to save her life. However Hroshk still wanted to exact revenge upon Varrin for attacking his ship, and he attempted to shoot what he thought was most precious to Varrin... Eris. Varrin attacked the Ssrisk in revenge and nearly defeated him, but in the heat of battle Hroshk shot Eris after all. He then turned to Varrin, about to kill him. At that moment Eris shot Hroshk in the chest... his shot had hit her lamri.

Varrin, Eris and Miguri headed back to the escape pod accompanied by Grashk, a Ssrisk who had assisted them in the fight. Varrin got along poorly with Grashk, due to their competing egos. The pod was gone, but the group was able to take advantage of Grashk's status as commander of the Ssrisk vessel in light of all the superior officers' deaths. They planned to find another ship to board the Ssrisk vessel and rescue the Noncoformity. They were briefly interrupted by Fino'jin, who Varrin defeated with a knock-out disc due to Eris's appeal for his life. After arriving at the Rakorsian docking bay and defeating the guards there, they escaped Kratis' ship. Their victory was interrupted by the Psilosian vessel, which had finally arrived.

Varrin was contacted by the Psilosians, which included Captain Hm'Dala as well as Alyra, his former business contact. Grashk ordered the Ssrisk to attack the Psilosians, giving Varrin and his crew time to escape. Eris suggested the group hide on the far side of Saturn, so the planet's magnetic fields would skew the Psilosians' sensors. Varrin was impressed with her plan, which worked flawlessly. Soon the crew was headed back to Earth.

Return to Earth
As they returned to Earth, Varrin was uncharacteristically distant and awkward about the prospect of leaving Eris forever. After she said goodbye to her other friends, Eris invited Varrin on a tour of Earth, to show him a small part of her world. Varrin accepted, and was shown around the Barlow Collegiate Institute. He was unimpressed with Eris' roommates and nearly got into a fight with a boy in Eris' dorm. After they had dinner together and went for a walk, Eris admitted that part of her wanted to leave with Varrin, but she was unsure if he had truly changed. Eager to prove to Eris how much she meant to him, Varrin proposed.

His proposal was met with complete shock - at seventeen, Eris was in no way ready to be married. Varrin didn't understand this part of human culture, and Eris refused the proposal. Varrin was still unfamiliar with rejection and crushed by Eris' refusal, though he tried not to let this show. Before she had a chance to explain, Varrin left Eris in the field, intending to leave Earth forever.

Instead Varrin returned to the ship and began drinking heavily. The refusal had devastated him and he spent time moping in the engine room, thorougly annoying his travel companions. Soon afterwards Eris arrived in the clearing and met up with Varrin again. Varrin was unfriendly at first, until Eris explained that she cared for him, she simply wasn't ready to get married yet. In response Varrin offered her what he described as a Rakorsian promise pendant - he promised to wait for her until she was ready for marriage. Eris happily accepted and the couple declared their love for one another. With that, they left Earth.

Epilogue
The crew's next goal was to reclaim the Nonconformity from the Psilosians. Varrin already had a plan... but his friends didn't approve of his typical recklessness. A news report revealed that Varrin, along with everyone else on board, were still wanted criminals. At this point Eris learned the true purpose of the promise pendand Varrin had given her. By Rakorsian customs, Eris was now Varrin's wife. Eris was understandably furious with her new "husband", though he had proven that he'd changed... somewhat.